Jim Carrey’s latest political cartoon takes aim at Fox News and its coronavirus coverage, depicting a family — wearing Fox News-branded blindfolds — blithely walking into the path of a moving bus filled with the coronavirus. And who’s driving the bus? None other than President Donald Trump.
“When America needed masks, Fox ‘News’ gave them blindfolds,” Carrey wrote on his illustration.
The network has been heavily criticized for its coverage of the pandemic. Last month, Fox News was sued in Washington by a group seeking an injunction to prevent the network from “publishing further false and deceptive content.” (The network’s general counsel said it was “wrong on the facts” and that they would be defending against it “vigorously.”) A group of 74 journalism professors also signed a letter calling Fox News’ coronavirus coverage a “danger to public health.”
Some of Fox’s hosts have particularly drawn ire for their coronavirus comments: In March, former Fox Business host Trish Regan said the pandemic was another effort to impeach Trump, leading to her departure from the network. A study from the University of Chicago found that counties where viewers of Fox News’ “Hannity” outnumbered “Tucker Carlson Tonight” were associated with a higher number of COVID-19 deaths in the early stages of the pandemic. (A Fox spokesperson said the study was “reckless” and claimed it ignored Hannity’s early coronavirus coverage from January and February.)
— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) May 15, 2020
The cartoon is Carrey’s second this week that bluntly criticizes the handling of the pandemic by political and media figures. On Monday, the actor and comedian took another swipe at Trump and the Republican Party, pairing them with a shocked-looking Grim Reaper. “Grim Reaper officially jealous of Trump and GOP’s ability to double the death toll,” the illustration said.
— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) May 11, 2020
And in late April, Carrey derided Trump for his suggestion that injecting household disinfectants into human bodies could somehow kill the virus. “Trump’s next medical breakthrough: ‘Want COVID out? SHOUT IT OUT!’” Carrey wrote on his illustration of Trump chugging the stain-removing cleaner Shout.